Matthew Robert Smith is an English actor. He is known for his role as the 11th reincarnation of the Doctor in the BBC Doctor Who series and Prince Philip in the Netflix series The Crown, a role which later earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination. Smith initially aspired to be a professional soccer player, but degenerative vertebrae forced him to quit the sport. After joining the National Youth Theater and studying theater and creative writing at the University of East Anglia, he became an actor in 2003, performing in plays such as Murder in the Cathedral, Fresh Kills, The History Boys and On the Shore of the Wide World at London Theaters. Expanding his repertoire at the West End Theater, since then he has starred in the film adaptation of Swimming with the Sharks with Christian Slater, followed a year later with a critically acclaimed performance, great as Henry in That Face. .

He is best known for playing The Doctor in the hit science fiction programme Doctor Who as the eleventh incarnation. In 2011, he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his performance. He also has a role in the Netflix smash The Crown.